President Trump in the last few days has demanded that reporters at ABC, CNN and The Washington Post be fired for committing “fake news.” The offenses ranged from incorrect dates on ABC and CNN stories that made them seem more significant than they were, to a photo that the Post’s David Weigel incorrectly said was evidence of a less than “packed” crowd at Trump’s speech in Pensacola, Fla., on Friday.

Trump demanded an apology and a retraction from Weigel on Saturday afternoon. Three minutes later, Weigel tweeted: “Sure thing: I apologize.” He said he had deleted the photo and explained, “Was confused by the image of you walking in the bottom right corner.” Apparently that wasn’t good enough; an hour later Trump tweeted: “FAKE NEWS, he should be fired.”

Here’s a thought experiment. What if Trump acted more like the media? ABC News made the most egregious error, imposed a four-week suspension on the offending reporter, and issued the most fulsome, contrite apology. That’s the model most appropriate for Trump. So, imagine:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

Statement by President Trump regarding a report that he still questions the authenticity of Barack Obama’s birth certificate:

I deeply regret and apologize for the serious error I made in a private conversation. While President Obama and I have deep differences about how to make America great again, I want to assure this nation that I no longer have any doubts about his citizenship. He is an American and a patriot.

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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement by President Trump on his assertions about the tax bill he hopes to sign:

I deeply regret and apologize for the serious factual error I made when I characterized my tax bill as the “biggest tax cut in U.S. history.” In fact, credit for the largest tax cut would go to Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush. I was also wrong to say the bill is “not good for me.” I would benefit from elimination of the alternative minimum tax and lower taxes on pass-through businesses, and my children would benefit from elimination or reduction of the estate tax.

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Personally, I deeply regret that no reader has the attention span to read these little works of fiction for each instance of Trump purveying “fake news.” The Post says Trump made 1,628 false or misleading claims in his first 298 days in office, including what lead fact-checker Glenn Kessler calls “false claims” about crowd size. To be exact, “Trump has lied 22 times this year about crowds,” the Toronto Star’s Daniel Dale tweeted. “I’ve had to invent a separate Crowds category on the fact-check page. He’s never corrected any of them.”

Nearly half the Trump statements examined by Politifact have been rated “false” or “pants on fire”; 21 percent were “mostly false.”

If Trump understood journalism at all, he’d know that no real journalist deliberately makes a mistake; that is what we fear most, what keeps us awake at night. Nor does he understand that his attacks, falsehoods and secrecy are inspiring great journalism. The profession I love is going to emerge from the Trump era stronger than ever. Unfortunately, that will not be true of the presidency or, I fear, our country.

Jill Lawrence is commentary editor of USA TODAY and author of The Art of the Political Deal:How Congress Beat the Odds and Broke Through Gridlock. Follow her on Twitter: @JillDLawrence